Comments on: Pop-tech Re-cap: reflections from an Iranian-American blogger

By: Global Blog Partner: Paris Marashi (Farsi) - Tech Blog Online

Global Blog Partner: Paris Marashi (Farsi) - Tech Blog Online — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 01:09:33 +0000

[…] Paris was one of the Global Bloggers attending this years conference. Below is her wonderful post-conference thoughts from her blog Ride the Wave **************** […]

By: Des O'Carroll

Des O'Carroll — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 21:47:07 +0000

Thanks for your important contribution at this critical time. It sounds like a cliche, I know, but peace is far more than the absence of war: it’s about the positive and active presence of a spirit that recognises our common humanity and our deep interdependence on each other. Just as the butterfly that flaps its wings in the silence of the rainforest can (if chaos theory is to be believed) trigger events like cyclones and hurricanes, so the despair and humiliation of those who are not accorded the full respect and dignity owing to every human being by virtue of their humanity will thwart our hopes of a peaceful world. Peace must be built on a recognition of the inviolable dignity of every human being wherever in the world that person lives (Iran, Ireland, Ivory Coast or Israel) and on each of us living our individual lives in accordance with that principle.

By: The Pop!Tech Blog » Global Blog Partner: Paris Marashi (Farsi)

The Pop!Tech Blog » Global Blog Partner: Paris Marashi (Farsi) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:18:49 +0000

[…] Paris was one of the Global Bloggers attending this years conference. Below is her wonderful post-conference thoughts from her blog Ride the Wave **************** […]

By: Tala

Tala — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:29:17 +0000

My dear Parastou,

What a beautiful article…thank you for sharing this wonderful information with us.

By: wsh

wsh — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 11:54:42 +0000

Excellent points. The People of the nations of the world should not let those in power (in any country) create artificial hatreds and wars to maintain a system that supports their wealth and dominance.

By: Lamar

Lamar — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 02:10:06 +0000

I’m happy to see your respect for people who reject the ‘us vs. them’ mentality. It’s good to see that people are working to put our similarities at the fore. Of course, one doesn’t have to create an international organization to foster peace. Peace will come about when we begin to search ourselves and earn self respect.

Respect for women, respect for the environment and respect for the power of economics all must be based on a fundamental respect for ourselves. We break the world up into ‘us’ and ‘them’ but never really understand what makes ‘them’ so fundamentally different and abhorrent as to place them in a separate category from ‘us’.

The things we dislike about ‘them’ are the very things we dislike about ourselves. Instead of recognizing and addressing our own shortcomings, we project the things we dislike about ourselves onto others. When we do battle with others, we are able to take on our own demons while deluding ourselves into thinking our personal integrity remains intact. When we make war with others, we are at war with ourselves. When we are attacked, the attackers are attacking themselves.

All of this philosophy would be fine, except that the consequences of attacking others and making war are not abstract. The consequences are lost lives, lost progress and lost opporunity. We cannot respect ourselves while inflicting these consequences upon our society.

OK, parismarashi, now you’ve caused me to get all preachy. Hopefully you will continue the thought provoking work, and hopefully people will continue to respond with their thoughts.

By: priya assal

priya assal — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 22:33:18 +0000

Thanks for the article.
It is becoming more and more clear that it is through people who are taking committed action towards shifting the way our society functions that we’ll be able to continue living as a race and on this planet.
Since the media never reports about the wonderful shifts that are taking place, it is through word of mouth and articles as the one you’ve written that we can learn about the differences that are being made everyday.
Thanks very much for educating us.
p.

By: imeth

imeth — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 22:23:56 +0000

Very interesting topic. I wish I had hope. Rather, I do have hope but feel it is a futile hope. I hope that one day we will stop believing things that we cannot sense. As long as we believe that we know what happens after death we devalue our lives on earth because we believe that such life on earth pales in comparison to heavenly existence after death. For as long as we refuse to recognize this to be the source of our problems we will continue to fight and exterminate each other.

By: poupa

poupa — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:45:36 +0000

Very well written. It inspires me to think that there are people like you and the people you mentioned at pop-tech, in this world. What a great expereince it must have been to be there. Thanks for sharing.